Lenovo considering acquiring RIM to bolster mobile business

Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming said in a recent interview that the company is assessing a number of potential targets for acquisition and strategic alliances in an effort to boost their mobile device business. One of those targets, according to Ming, is struggling Canadian handset maker Research in Motion.

The executive didn’t give a timetable as to when they would make a decision one way or the other regarding RIM or any other potential acquisition. But he did point out that Lenovo would have no hesitation if the right opportunity came along that could benefit the company and shareholders.

Lenovo doesn’t have a heavy handset presence in the US but they do have a pretty solid following in the Chinese mobile market. Earlier this month we profiled their upcoming K900 smartphone which will be one of the first to use Intel’s new dual-core Atom processor. With a 5.5-inch, 1080p IPS display covering a shell that’s just 6.9mm thick and weighing only 5.7 ounces, Lenovo certainly looks to have a winner on their hands here.

According to JI Asia analyst Jean-Louis Lafayeedney, Lenovo can leverage the scale they have in PCs to develop the mobile Internet side of the business. All of this, of course, is in the wake of a declining PC market. As the number two producer of computers in the world, Lafayeedney is likely correct in the assumption that their pull in the PC industry can help them get to where they want to be with mobile.